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Misriinian Empire
People The Misriinian people all have one thing in common: they all have an intense, unerring love for the Pharaoh, Xexane the Great. The Pharaoh is loved because he is a good ruler, a great ruler in fact. He promotes rights for all people, except for the countless slaves that are kept all throughout the empire, and truly listens to his subjects. The people do not worship the gods themselves, and do not believe Pharaoh to be a god, but rather the pinnacle of humanity chosen by the gods to represent them. The Misriinian population is very austere thanks to the Pharaoh. They are all very serious and do not like to have fun. There is little time for fun when mothers are raising as many children as they can, daughters are learning how to run their homes from their mothers, fathers are taking part in the “Misriin War Machine”, sons are training to replace their fathers, elders are watching this all take place, the slaves are keeping the country running, the slave drivers are making sure they keep the country running, and the remainder of the empire is either nobility or property of nobility. Entertainers, entertainers, maids, and other personal belongings to nobles are commonplace areas of work outside of mothering or warring. The citizens of Misriin are all humans. There is nothing particularly special about them. The slaves, on the other hand, are a very diverse bunch. Whatever Misriin manages to conquer turns much of the population of the area into slaves, resulting in slaves of many races. There is an eerie silence about Misriinian cities in these times. The streets are quiet and the only public congregations of people are local markets where slaves sell food to mothers. Wind may howl through empty streets, and sand may lazily roll its way through cities. Cities are empty because every able-bodied father, son, and slave is sent off to the War Machine to perform his duty to Misriin. The ‘Misriin War Machine’ is the name given to the Pharaoh’s legions. Over half of Misriin’s population is part of the War Machine. Slaves, fathers, and slave drivers are to fight for the Pharaoh until their last breath, and sons sent to be trained not far from the front lines. The only time one gets to leave the war machine is when someone get grievously injured or a father has to return home to give his wife more children, which a father does every two years. The Pharaoh makes absolute certainty that quick and vital communication is present throughout the war machine. Carrier hawks and messengers on horseback bring news and orders in all directions around the war machine. This is not very necessary, however, with the nature of the war machine. The war machine never separates much. This is the true strength of Misriin’s army. Almost every male in the entire empire travels together in a horde hundreds of thousands strong. The men of the war machine do not have a horde mentality, however. Every son is required to become at least competent with his weapons and somewhat competent in battlefield tactics, due to the Pharaoh’s decree that “No son or father shall die in battle by lack of training.” The majority of Misriinian infantry is clad in greaves, waist protection, a pteruge, a cape, head covering, and gauntlets. Their chest and midriff is left barren. The armor is not meant for high protection, but is meant to balance protection and mobility, as well as to provide protection from the Misriin climate and to attempt to provide at least some level of fear. They wield spears that stand just a few inches taller than a man with heavy tips and sturdy, round, midsized shields. They also make use of broad short swords for the inevitable times when the spear no longer becomes a viable option. All of these weapons and armor are smither out of Misriinian iron, mined from the great slave-run mines in the homeland. The light weapons and light armor are created the way they are as to permit traditional Misriinian tactics. With the aid of the unimaginable number of light infantry the war machine produces, Misriin employs quick shock-style tactics. Great Walkers charge directly into enemy lines as spearheads followed by masses of light infantry. This divides enemy forces and allows the enemy to be surrounded in mere minutes despite a battle being totally front-to-front just before. Misriin has other tactics of course, although most are centered around the principles of ‘disrupt the enemy’, ‘divide and conquer’, or ‘use sheer numbers’. No matter the tactic, Misriinians are sure to make very effective use of their mobility and numbers.A commander once said, “Nothing is more terrifying to the enemy to find a force ten times the size of theirs is moving twice as fast,” and his words stuck as a saying modern commanders love to use. Off the topic of war, Misriin’s austere nature creeps into every corner of life. Misriinian cuisine has been long dead, with only a few meals being cooked today. By far the most common meal eaten today is made by the soldiers of the war machine themselves. They take wheat and whatever other crops they can find, mash it all up, and cook it over a fire into what amounts to bland, but nutritious, hard dough. This simple amalgamation is what lets the soldiers stay fed and healthy despite their numbers. History Misriin has always been a collection of warring city-states since people settled there. That was until the first Pharaoh, Daus III of Isme Tulumbas, began his conquer of all of Misriin. He was successful, as most city-states were rather unhappy with the quality of life that was drastically lowered between the constant fighting and the harsh desert landscape of Misriin. This was all thousands of years ago, during the times the Old Gods and the New Gods fought. After Daus III’s rule, the next ruler came into power with the help of a mysterious organization known as “Zeffa Circle”. This ruler was none of than Daus III’s son, Daus IV. Daus III mysteriously vanished one day, and after it was concluded he was dead, Daus IV took control. After Daus IV died of sickness at an old age, a new ruler would be chosen as Pharaoh. New Pharaohs would be chosen by the ‘gods’ for thousands of years more, notably never in the same family. In most recent years, Xexane was crowned as the newest Pharaoh. Xexane immediately worked to completely change the fate of Misriin forever. His first decree was to start the creation of the great War Machine, stripping much of Misriin culture in the process. His next decrees were those of conquest, putting the war machine to work capturing neighboring empire’s land mostly for the gain of slaves for the empire. Homeland Misriin is mostly desert, with a few savannahs spread throughout. Most Misriin cities are either built on the edges of oases or one of the two great rivers that run through Misriin, known as the “Twins”. Until recently, Misriinians used elephants to lead the infantry into enemy lines, but some crafty homelanders discovered that is was possible to tame and train the Great Walkers to do their bidding. Therefore, the largest creatures in the savannahs were then put to use to replace the main use of elephants in the war machine. They do not do well with captivity, so herders raised and feed new Great Walkers until they are old enough to be sent to the war machine to likely be killed in combat. Special Factors Misriin has a few advantages compared to the rest of the empires of the world. First, Misriin has a massive population that is highly coordinated and devoted to the Pharaoh’s cause. Second, Misriin has little to no homeland defense, which is not a problem as the war machine can mobilize itself to protect the mainland in an astonishingly short time. Finally, Misriin is home to the Great Walkers, which while not invincible by any means are large, sturdy, and loyal beasts that tend to crush anything in their paths.